During two social-impact roundtables at the California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues’ REACH 2022 conference in Palm Desert, CA, Inclusiv Program Director of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Chriselle Martinez took a deep-dive into Juntos Avanzamos (“Together We Advance”) — a network of credit unions committed to serving and empowering Hispanic and Latino communities.

(View/download conference and event photos from the REACH 2022 Photo Gallery)

In conjunction, the Leagues took the opportunity to host and facilitate these unique roundtables to encourage the establishment of Juntos Avanzamos Regional Chapters across the nation, with the very first chapter launched during the REACH conference!

“The Leagues are proud of what our Juntos Avanzamos credit unions are accomplishing in Hispanic and Latino immigrant communities across California and Nevada,” said Larry Palochik, executive vice president of the Leagues. “We look forward to continue developing more connections between Juntos Avanzamos credit unions and others that are exploring this unique avenue of service and philosophy within their local regions and neighborhoods.”

Daniel West, vice president of social impact for the Leagues, said Juntos Avanzamos Regional Chapters — also a program of the National Association of Latino Credit Unions and Professionals (NLCUP) — will create local networks for credit union professionals to work together, share knowledge, collaborate, and develop solutions to local and national issues related to financial inclusion of Hispanic and Latino communities.

“California is the second-largest state by concentration of Juntos Avanzamos credit unions in the United States,” West said. “We commend Inclusiv and the NLCUP for their engagement and work in helping us grow this brand within our state footprint. We now have 16 Juntos Avanzamos credit unions across California representing 1.4 million consumers and $27.8 billion in assets.”

During the roundtables facilitated by Martinez this week, attendees discussed what they have learned while implementing Juntos Avanzamos for their members that’s relevant to others credit unions operating in the same communities. They talked about best practices for all types of credit unions in various regions across California, Nevada, and the United States.

Martinez said joining a Juntos Avanzamos/NLCUP Regional Chapter means a credit union must:

• Have a demonstrated commitment, experience, or skill in the fields of leadership, marketing, lending, collections, compliance, and community outreach to underserved communities, with an emphasis in the Hispanic-Latino population.
• Share a commitment to the Juntos Avanzamos inclusion framework and program principles.
• Share a commitment to the values of NLCUP.
  
  

She gave an overview of the Juntos Avanzamos designation process, application details, certification timeline, key requirements, and additional factors to consider.

Throughout the nation, there are 128 Juntos Avanzamos stakeholders representing 128 credit unions, 9.7 million consumers, 935 credit union branches, 28 states (and Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico), $110 billion in assets, 14 national partner organizations, and five community partners.

Martinez noted that over several years, the initiative has engaged committed credit unions in serving Hispanic and Latino immigrants, encouraged standardization of loan underwriting requirements, promoted standardization of products and services, and developed a central depository of best practices and information relevant to credit unions serving the Hispanic-Latino marketplaces. In addition, it has formalized learning networks for sharing of best practices, developed consistent marketing and outreach strategies, and facilitated collaborations with nonprofits and public agencies.

Stay Engaged During REACH
Attendees and League staff will be sharing photos, comments and memories through Twitter (@CUatREACH), LinkedIn (#CUatREACH), and the REACH 2022 Photo Gallery. 

REACH is one of the credit union industry’s premier annual events, attracting leaders and system partners from across California, Nevada and the United States. This year it’s held from Nov. 1 – 4 at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort and Spa in Palm Desert, CA!

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